Canyon Crest Wildfire Sparked on Thanksgiving Day Grows

Firefighters from Cal FIRE work to contain a wildfire that blackened 187 acres in the Agua Caliente area of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in eastern San Diego County, Calif., on June 2, 2024. Courtesy of Cal FIRE San Diego

A wildfire sparked near Canyon Crest Drive in Riverside County on Thanksgiving Day prompted evacuations on Nov. 29, when it grew to nearly half a square mile area.

According to fire officials, the Canyon Crest fire is at zero containment Friday morning after firefighters worked throughout the night in challenging terrain and windy conditions.

“A large augmentation of fire engines, crews, bulldozers, and night-flying water-dropping helicopters assisted in the suppression of the fire yesterday,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Management (Cal Fire) reported Friday in an update on social media.

Nearly 215 firefighters from San Bernardino County, Cal Fire, Riverside County, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) were working to contain the blaze, which has also crossed over into San Bernardino County.

Crews also have 37 fire engines, two bulldozers, seven water tenders, and air tankers assisting them.

The fire started north of Highway 60 near Canyon Crest Drive, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.

San Bernardino County Fire Department first reported a brush fire at about 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in the area of Canyon Crest Drive and Weeping Willow Lane in Fontana.

The fire swept uphill and was driven by wind gusts, according to fire officials.

No structures have burned and no injuries were reported in the incident on Friday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to Cal Fire.

Evacuation warnings were ordered for the rural area around the active fire. Officials have also set up a care and reception center at Jurupa Valley High School, located at 10551 Bellegrave Avenue in Jurupa Valley.

On Wednesday, Cal Fire reminded the public that Thanksgiving was the biggest day for home fires caused by cooking equipment. Turkey dryers can be a dangerous hazard if not used correctly, the department reported.

It is unknown how the Canyon Crest fire started, however.

So far this year, Cal Fire has reported 7,818 wildfires throughout the state, with about 1,630 square miles scorched as a result. The state department oversees fire protection and stewardship over 31 million acres of California’s privately owned wildlands.

California’s largest wildfire this year, the Park Fire, was caused by arson. A Chico man was arrested for allegedly pushing a burning car down a ravine in a city park in Butte County.

The Park Fire destroyed more than 700 homes and buildings, scorching nearly 671 square miles before being contained by fire crews in September. The blaze became the fourth-largest fire in the state’s history.